STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ON USING SONG TO IMPROVE

STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT THE TENTH

GRADE OF SMK MUHAMMADIYAH 1 SURAKARTA IN 2017/2018

ACADEMIC YEAR

Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Getting Bachelor

Degree of Education in English Department

by

Wahyu Ari Winasih

A320140189

DEPARTEMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

MUHAMMADIYAH UNIVERSITY OF SURAKARTA

2018

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STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ON USING SONG TO IMPROVE

STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT THE TENTH

GRADE OF SMK MUHAMMADIYAH 1 SURAKARTA IN 2017/2018

ACADEMIC YEAR

Abstract

This purpose of this paper is to describe how are the perceptions of the tenth grade

students of SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Surakarta in 2017/2018 academic year on

using song as media to improve students’ motivation in learning English. This

research uses descriptive qualitative approach. The participants of this research

are tent students of SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Surakarta. Method of collecting data

used is interview, the method of data analysis is through content analysis. The

results of this reseacrh paper are as follows: students’ perception on using song to

improve students’ motivation in learning English are 1) students become

interested in learning English by using songs as media; 2) learning English by

using songs is effective; 3) English skill can be increased by using songs in

learning English; 4) songs can improve students’ motivation in learning English;

while the difficulties faced by students when learning English by using songs are

1) confusion in understanding the meaning of song lyric; 2) not accustomed used

English songs in learning process; 3)differences of English competence.

Keywords: students’ perception, song, motivation.

Abstrak

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mendeskripsikan bagaimana persepsi

siswa kelas sepuluh tentenag penggunaan lagu untuk meningkatkan motivasi

belajar bahasa inggris siswa di SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Surakarta tahun

pelajaran 2017/2018. Jenis penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif. Peserta dari

penenlitian ini diambil dari dua siswa kelas sepuluh di SMK Muhammadiyah 1

Surakarta. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan teknik wawancara, sedangkan

metode analisis data adalah content analysis. Hasil dari peneitian ini adalah:

persepsi siswa tentang penggunaan lagu untuk meningkatkan motivasi belajar

bahasa inggris siswa 1) ketertarikan siswa menggunakan lagu dalam belajar

bahasa inggris; 2) lagu efektif digunakan sebagai media dalam belajar bahasa

inggris; 3) kemampuan bahasa inggris yang dapat dikembangkan dengan

menggunakan lagu; 4) lagu dapat meingkatkan motivasi belajar bahasa inggris

siswa. Sedangkan masalah yang dihadapi siswa dalam belajar dengan

menggunakan lagu yaitu; 1) kesulitan memahami makna dalam lagu tersebut; 2)

tidak terbiasa menggunakan media lagu dalam pembelajaran; 3) perbedaan

kemampuan.

Kata kunci: persepsi siswa, lagu, motivasi.

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1. INTRODUCTION

English learners in Indonesia get difficulties to study English. Many

learning problems are caused by different element found between the two

languages that is their first language and the target language. There are two

kinds of factors that affect someone in learning English. Those are internal and

external factors. Internal factors come from the learners, such as motivation,

interest, aptitude, and intelligence. The external factors come from outside of

the learners, such as situation and condition of the environment, learning

materials, and learning program.

Beyond those factors the teachers should have special trick to make their

students motivated in learning English. The students can be interested in

learning English by using some interesting media and enjoyable activities and

we can adjust them to their ages and grades so that they can integrate

themselves into English, for example singing English songs. It can contribute

many things to improve students’ motivation. The contributions of singing

English song can enrich vocabulary and develop listening as well speaking

skills.

Songs can provide attractive and instructional media in learning

activities. Song has been designed to motivate students to participate the

English teaching and learning. This research tries to find out the students’

perception of using songs to improve students’ motivation in learning English.

The researcher used phenomenological approach to get the data from the

students. Phenomenology is psychological study of subjective experience. The

study based on their own perception and there is no scope about their

experience. In this research, the researcher will conduct interview with the

students of SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Surakarta for the data. After that, the

researcher analyzed the data to draw a conclusion for the research.

2. RESEARCH METHOD

This research use descriptive qualitative to collect the data. According to

Moleong (1995: 02), descriptive qualitative is a type of research which is not

include any numeration. In other words, descriptive qualitative is a type of

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research which analyzing the data without involving numeration. The

researcher conducting the research for the purpose knowing the students’

perception on using song to improve students’ motivation in learning English

at the tenth grade students of SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Surakarta.

3. FINDING AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Finding of Research

3.1.1 Students’ Perception on Using Songs as Media in Learning English

The collected data for this research are two interview transcripts. The

interview was conducted to explore the students’ perception on using

songs to improve students’ motivation in learning English at the tenth

grade students of SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Surakarta. The themes were

concluded through the researcher’s original interpretation of the data and

by returning to the participant to check if these explicative themes

resonated with her understanding of her experience. The themes are

following:

3.1.2 Interest of the Students in Learning English by Using Songs as Media

Learning process in the classroom is the situation when the students study

in the classroom of SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Surakarta. The interviewee

was doing the learning activity with the teacher in the classroom. The

interviewee said that learning English without any medium makes them

bored and difficult to understand the materials. Interviewee 1 said that:

Interviewee 1 said that:

“We are very interested in learning English when using songs as media,

because it makes us more excited in the learning process and also easier to

understand the materials. We can learn while enjoy listening to the songs

in the class”.

This statement indicates that the interviewee’s activity in learning

English by using song as media can increase their spirit in learning English

and help them understand the materials and also the materials become

easier to memorize.

Interviewee 2 said that:

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“We are interested. Because the materials becomes easier to teach. It is

funier than listen to the explanation from the book.

The previous quotation indicates that the interviewee enjoy in learning

English process. The students feel interested in because usually the

students just hear the explanation of the book by their teacher. When the

learning process uses songs as media the material become more clearly

and esier to understand.

3.1.3 Learning English by Using Songs is Effective

The interviewees are having personal opinion about the effectiveness

by using songs to improve students’ motivation in learning English. Some

students said that it makes the students more active in the learning process

but some students said it depends on each student.

Interviewee 1 said that:

“Because we are curious about the meaning of the word in the song and

we are motivated to find out the meaning by opening the dictionary, and

also we can learn at home by using the English song that we like.”

Based on the statement above, learning English by using songs is

effective because the students become more active in the classroom. The

students try to find the meaning of the song lyric by opening the dictionary

usually they use electronic dictionary because simplier. Beside that

students also can practice it at home with different songs what they like.

Interviewee 2 said that:

“We are more active in the learning process because we can practice

directly what is taught, we also can sing together.”

Based on the statement above, learning process in the classroom

become more active because the students were interested in the learning

process and gives the new situation in the classroom. The students can

practice what they learn

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3.1.4 English Skill that can be increased by Using Songs in Learning

English

In learning English there are some skills that can be learned; speaking

skill, reading skill, listening skill, and writing skill. Using song as media

can improve their skill in English but every students are different.

Interviewee 1 said that:

“Songs can develop pronunciation ability, because when listening to the

song we can imitate it.”

Based on the statement above, the interviewee said that by using song

as media can increase their ability in English, especially on speaking skill,

because they can sing together when hearing the songs.

Interviewee 2 said that:

“We can increase our writing skill and ability to remember.”

Based on the statement above, the interviewee agree that using songs

as media can improve our skill in English. Song can increase our ability to

remember, we can remember new words and also we can try to write the

good spelling of the new word.

3.1.5 Songs can Improve Students’ Motivation in Learning English

Interviewee 1 said that:

“Yes, because we are excited in learning English.”

Based on the statement above, interviewee can increase their interest in

learning English by using songs. Students more engaged with the

classroom activity and interested in the class topic. They were paying

more intention, they participated more frequently, and also they were

carrying out all their task with more energy and enthusiasm

Interviewee 2 said that:

“Songs make us interested in learning English, because of the different

media.”

Based on the statement above, using songs in learning English can

create a favorable environment in the classroom and encourage students to

be more committed to class activities.

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3.2 The Difficulties Faced by Students in Learning English Using Songs.

In learning English process, the interviews found some problems. In

this case, students have three problems in learning process using song as

media to improve students’ motivation.

3.2.1 Confusion in understanding the meaning of song lyrics

Interviewee 1 said that:

“We often confused to understand the meaning of the song lyric, we don’t

know the meaning of each word in that lyric.” “

Based on the quotation above, the interviewee has a difficulty in

finding the meaning of the song lyric. It means that the students have lack

of vocabulary so they are difficult to understand the meaning of lyric.

3.2.2 Not accustomed to Use English Songs in Learning Process

Interviewee 2 said that:

“Learning English never used media like that before. So when learning

process used song as media we find a difficulty in memorizing and

practicing the word of the song.”

Based on the quotation above, the interviewee is merely using songs as

medium in learning English. The teacher just used handbook to explain the

materials. It makes the students feel boring and sleepy in the classroom.

The students almost never practice what they learn. It makes the students

passive in learning process.

3.2.3 Differences of English competence

Interviewee 1 said that:

“No all of the students can study with songs, because we have different

competence.”

Based on the statement above, not all of the students can increase their

ability in English and improve their motivation in learning English.

Because they have different abilities. There are some students who can be

easy to receive new materials but there are some students who have

difficulties to receive and understand the new materials.

Interviewee 2 said that:

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“Not really, because students have different competence.”

Based on the statement above, the interviewee has different

competence. They have different skill to understand the new materials.

3.3 Discussion

Based on the research finding, there are some aspects discussed by

the researcher. The aspects include: 1) students’ perception on using songs

as media in learning English; and 2) the problem faced by students in

learning English using song.

3.3.1 Students’ Perception on Using Songs as media in Learning English

From the research finding above, the researcher discussing

about from what she found.

Compared which was done by Sahin’, Sule Y.e., Secer’, Yavuz

Erisen’ (2016). The found some media that can improve the students’

motivation in learning English such us songs, game, and also movie

film.

Compared with other research which was done by Mustikawati

(2016). Mustikawati in her research used the same theory that theory

of perception to analyze the students perception. In this research used

the same theory proposed by Allport (1996).

Compared with was done by Mahmet Sahin’, Sule Y.e., Secer’,

Yavuz Erisen’ (2016). They are found some factors that effect in

learning English such as, the enjoyment of learning, external pressures,

positive attitude towards second language community. This research

just found two factors that effect in learning English that is internal and

external factors.

3.3.2 The Difficulties Faced by Students in Learning English Using Song.

From the research finding above, the researcher discussing

about from what she found.

Compared which was done by Mustikawati (2016).

Mustikawati found four the difficulties of students in learning English.

There are: limited sources of vocabulary, lack of access dictionary,

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confusion in deciding, and unclear explanation from the teacher. This

research just found three difficulties that faced by the students in

learning English, confusion in understanding the meaning of word, not

accustomed used English, and differences of English competences.

4 CONCLUSION

Based the research findings, the researcher draws the following

conclusion.

1) Students become interested in learning English by using songs as media

2) Learning English by using songs is effective

3) English skill can be increased by using songs in learning English

4) Songs can improve students’ motivation in learning English.

Beside that the difficulties faced by students during studying by using

songs as media are:

1) Confusion in understanding the meaning of songs lyric

2) Not accustomed used English songs

3) Differences of English competence

REFERENCES

Moleong Lexy, J. (1995). Metode Penelitian Qualitative. Bandung: PT Rajawali

Satoso Remaja Rosdakarya.

Paskalia, Sarah. (2014). Improving Students’ Motivation in Speaking Skills

through Songs for the Seventh Grade of SMPN 7 Wonogiri in 2012/2013

Academic Year. thesis. Yogyakarta State University.

Maria, Silvestra. (2009). Students’ Perception on the Use of Role Play Technique

in Speaking Class in the English Education Study Program of Sanata

Dharma University. Thesis. Sanata Dharma University. Yogyakarta.